From a general love of learning to a passion for a specific field, there are as many legitimate reasons to get a college degree as there are degree programs to choose from. But will a college degree actually affect how much you make—will it directly increase your professional earnings? The short answer is a resounding Yes.
In today's competitive job market, employers are willing to pay higher salaries to job candidates who have a college education.
Need further proof? Below is a list of the 10 fastest-growing jobs in the United States over the next ten years, along with the average annual salaries for each job.
As you can clearly see, the occupations requiring a college degree almost invariably offer higher salaries, as well as a clear path to promotion and advancement that you won't find in jobs with lesser qualification requirements.
But don't stop at a simple comparison of annual salaries. When comparing earnings levels, it's to your benefit to consider the aggregate—in other words, to compare how much you'd earn over the course of a full career at one job against the smaller total amount of a less-qualified position.
For instance, the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined that people with Bachelor degrees take home over 98% more lifetime pay, on average, than non-college graduates. People with Master's degrees earn an aggregate of over 170% more. Those numbers are averages, of course, which means that, in practice, when you enter the job market armed with a college degree, you'll have far more specific ability to affect your pay—you'll be equipped to chart your own professional course.
